Mini Review Monday is a weekly feature on my blog where I do three shorter reviews of older reads of mine. If you'd like to also host this feature, no problem, just please link back to my blog in your post.
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I'd Tell You That I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Series: Gallagher Girls #1
Published April 1, 2007
Summary: The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school, that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE, the latest in chemical warfare in science; and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes computer class. So in truth, Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but its really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is a second generation Gallagher Girl, and by her sophomore year she's already fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti.) But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for is what to do when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without his ever being the wiser, but can she have a regular relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy in training, but in her sophomore year, shes beginning her most dangerous mission; she's falling in love.
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My thoughts: I suppose everyone has a guilt pleasure series, and this one's gotta be it for me, since they're technically middle grade books and I'm technically no longer a middle-grader. Anyways, this novel is a great spy and romance novel if you're looking for a light, funny, entertaining read. I love Cammie's spirit and her wacky, loyal friends. Every character is distinct and well-written. The story line is so original too, not to mention page-turning and suspenseful. I loved being in Cammie's spy-filled world and every time I finish one of these novels I'm reluctant to be out of it. Carter's writing is cute and girly at times (like when she's with Josh) and serious at others (when her life is in danger). Overall, I'd Tell You That I Love You is a great, airy read for anyone looking for a quick book, or for any younger teens. Sometimes its nice to read something not heavy and not filled with bad language or sex. Plus the covers and titles are just so cute and clever.
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Rating: 5 stars
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Tithe by Holly Black
Series: The Modern Faerie Tales #1
Published March 23, 2004
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces the sixteen-year-old back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms -- a struggle that could very well mean her death.
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My thoughts: Black has been one of my favorite authors for a long time and I think it's mostly due to her ability to write in such a dark, aloof manner as she does in Tithe. Kaye just discovered she's a faerie--green skin, wings, and all. And she's also just fallen in love with a faerie king who's not only dangerous, but extremely powerful. I loved how Kaye's personality was affected and how bleak things seem to get. And I also loved Roiben, the king who Kaye is desperately in love with. The story line was fast and edgy, making it a fast read, but also a very intriguing read. The way Black writes makes you savor each and every line and the twists and turns the story takes leaves you desperate for more. I was just oh-so-thankful this was the first of a series. A really interesting, great start to a dark and dangerous series.
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Rating: 5 stars
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The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
Published February 1, 2008
Summary: This is the story of five sisters—Beauty, Mim, Stevie, Fancy, and Autumn—and the man who watches them. He could be any ordinary man . . . but he's not. Unaware of his scrutiny and his increasingly forbidden thoughts about them, the sisters go on with their ordinary lives—planning, arguing, laughing, and crying—as if nothing bad could ever breach the security of their family.
In alternating points of view, Norma Fox Mazer manages to interweave the lives of predator and prey in this unforgettable psychological thriller.
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My thoughts: Honestly, I was let down by The Missing Girl. Yeah, the story was dark and scary and I shudder to think of what pedophiles like the man in it do to innocent little girls. It was definitely one of those books that kind of haunts you after you finish it because of its disturbing, twisted manner. But overall, the character's voices were interchangeable and kind of forgettable. Aside from the terrifying plot, the novel was lacking in any real connection. I didn't feel anything even when horrible things were happening to the girls.
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Mazer's writing is what really turned me off from this novel, but it was the characters that were its weak point. Autumn, Beauty, Mim, Stevie, and Fancy were completely lacking any real personality and I had to keep checking to see which sister was talking. The last half of the novel was fast-paced and while I admire Mazer's ability to write about pedophiles so realisticly and rawly, it was the only real highlight of the novel. I finished the book in one sitting; it's story was haunting, but its characters were basically forgotten in minutes.
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Rating: 3 stars
